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Deployment Support: Where to Find Help While Your Spouse is Away

With the modern day military family facing frequent deployments during times of military service, deployment support
is beneficial for family members that are left behind. As a result of
deployment, families are separated, leaving only you, mom, to complete
the roles of both mom and dad. Where can you find deployment support
while your spouse is away?

Local Support Groups

Many communities around the nation have established deployment
support groups that welcome new military families seeking assistance,
friendship or advice. These support groups are generally helpful for
both seasoned and newbie families that are experiencing the effects of
deployment.

If, by chance, your community does not have a local support group,
perhaps you could form a group that would provide the necessary support
to other military families that you, yourself, are seeking. Some support
groups offer age-appropriate activities to assist children with their
feelings related to deployment while you are participating in an adult
support group.

Make New Friends

Likely, you will meet new friends through local support groups. Take
time to get to know fellow military spouses as they will likely be the
most appropriate and understanding form of support during your spouse's
deployment. Offering to help other military spouses will more than
likely yield positive results, in which others will be happy to help you
as well. Offer to help one another prepare meals, run errands, exchange
childcare duties or just hang out and talk.

Online Support Groups

In addition to community support groups that meet in person, you will
find a multitude of online deployment support groups, aimed at
providing resources and support for military spouses during deployment.
Online support groups offer chat rooms, discussion boards and forums,
photo sharing, idea sharing and more. Because these support groups meet
online, there is no need to live in a specific area or find a convenient
time to commit to participating with other members.

Provided Military Support

Because the military does realize the difficulty of being separated
from your loved one, branches of the military provide deployment support
for military families. For example, the Marine Corps offers a Readiness
& Deployment Support program for personnel and their families.
Workshops include pre-deployment briefs, kids deployment workshops and
"In The Midst" workshops for military spouses and children. The Navy
offers a program through the National Naval Medical Center that is able
to help military spouses with obstacles and challenges that are commonly
experienced during times of deployment.

Spousal Support

While you should familiarize yourself with the various forms of
support that are available to you, the spouse, it is also important to
remember to support your spouse. Likely, your spouse realizes the
heartache and turmoil that you are experiencing during deployment. What
they don't realize is what exactly is taking place in your life and the
life of your children. It is important to mail out care packages
frequently or write letters. Involve your children in this process and
encourage them to write letters also.